Teresa Altagracia Lozano Long (July 20, 1928 – March 21, 2021) was an educator and philanthropist, supporting arts and education in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. Long was raised on a dairy farm in Premont, Texas, where she graduated as valedictorian at Premont High School in 1945. She attended the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in 1948 and a master's in education in 1951. Long became a teacher in

Alice, Texas Alice is a city in, and the county seat of, Jim Wells County, Texas, United States, in the South Texas region of the state. The population was 19,104 at the 2010 census. Alice was established in 1888. First it was called "Bandana", then "Kleberg ...

, where she met attorney Joe R. Long, whom she married in 1958. They moved back to Austin, where she earned a doctorate in physical education in 1965. In 1999, Long and her husband founded the Long Foundation, using proceeds from the sale of First State Bank, where Mr. Long had been the Chairman, to Norwest. They pledged an endowment gift of $10 million to support the Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas, which was renamed the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies. By 2004, they had endowed 100 scholarships for Hispanic students in different fields and departments. In 2005, they were jointly awarded the Texas Medal for the Arts. They also pledged $20 million for the renovation of Austin's Lester E. Palmer Auditorium, which was renamed the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts. The Longs also donated extensively to the

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) is a public academic health science center in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UT Health San Antonio is the largest health scie ...

, and the medical school was renamed the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine after a $25 million gift in 2017. Long was inducted into the

Texas Women's Hall of Fame The Texas Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1984 by the Governor's Commission on Women. The honorees are selected biennially from submissions from the public. The honorees must be either native Texans, or a resident of Texas at the time of th ...

in 2010. She was appointed to the National Council advising the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

in 2002, and she was awarded the

National Humanities Medal The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the human ...

in 2019. Upon receiving the award, she said, “I wish really it was given to my husband and me, since we do everything together."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Teresa Lozano 1928 births 2021 deaths People from Austin, Texas University of Texas at Austin College of Education alumni National Humanities Medal recipients Educators from Texas Philanthropists from Texas People from Jim Wells County, Texas 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century philanthropists 21st-century American women